Qld man says wife had a 'zeal to die'

A Queensland man accused of encouraging his wife to take her own life claimed she had a "zest and zeal" for death and her failed attempts were "hiccups".

But a doctor has told Graham Robert Morant's trial his wife Jennifer did not have a terminal illness.

The 69-year-old Morant has pleaded not guilty to aiding and counselling his wife to take her own life as he stood beneficiary to her $1.4 million life insurance.

He told Ms Morant he wanted to use the money to quit work and build a religious commune as a haven from the biblical rapture where he would be pastor, the prosecution has alleged.

Morant allegedly kept up his efforts convincing her to take her life, including telling her the insurance money would help their church, for months until she did so in November 2014.

But Morant told police Jennifer did not want to continue suffering chronic back pain and had attempted to kill herself three times previous.

"I had such a zest and zeal to live. She had such a zest and zeal to die," Morant told police in an interview played in Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday.

He said he tried to talk her out of it but became desensitised to her attempts.

"These were just hiccups," Morant said.

"That's horrendous, but she that's just what she wanted to do.

"She actually forbid me from stopping her taking her life."

Morant's statement to police was in contradiction to Jennifer's best friend Johanna Cornelia Dent, who testified she did not want to kill herself and was scared by his pressure on her to do so.

Morant told police Jennifer was so affected by chronic back pain she was taking 23 pills, including Oxycontin and Endone, each night.

A back operation she had in 2011 "never relieved the pain", which left her mostly housebound, he said.

But while she had been treated for back, weight, thyroid, blood pressure, dental and mental health issues, her doctor Mariusz Zielinski told the court she suffered no terminal illness.

Dr Zielinski said she had never made a comment to him about wanting to end her life.

Morant also lamented Jennifer's extravagant spending, saying she had a "gift for spending money".

The trial continues.

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